Benchmarking is a method of measuring the performance of a benchmarking object (e.g. an IT system, application, process or other object) against comparative values of the performance of more comparable benchmarking objects. The measurement and comparison can be aggregated globally to one value or made over several comparison values. Ideally, there is a best-practice performance that represents the objectively best performance as a so-called benchmark. Alternatively, a theoretically optimal performance can also be used as a benchmark.
The aim of benchmarking is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a benchmarked object, as well as to assess its productivity, efficiency and effectiveness, to locate its performance in relation to other objects and to rank the objects.
Typical benchmarks look at objects in the same category (e.g. storage systems), the same sector (e.g. industry) or regions (e.g. EU).
In IT, benchmarking is used to uncover optimisation potential for IT systems and processes by comparing the IT object, IT service or IT process under consideration with a reference. The results show which IT services can still be optimised, where investments would improve IT and which use of technology would be recommended.
In IT, benchmarking is the subject of IT financial management and technology business management.